


Tuesday Nights With Nico

by Raelilly



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Bad Exes, Doctor/Patient, I hope you don't hate it, M/M, Nico is lonely, but there will be romance I promise, will is a dork
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-03
Updated: 2016-01-30
Packaged: 2018-05-11 12:54:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5627347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raelilly/pseuds/Raelilly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Will is a doctor working evenings at a low income clinic in the city. Nico is becoming a regular, and Will struggles to figure out what really is going on. Solangelo AU/AH.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! So this is my first Solangelo, and my first post in a REALLY long time. I have everything already written, so updates will come quickly.

Tuesday nights were always a bit slow at the clinic, and honestly that was something that Will Solace usually appreciated. Will had worked evenings at the small clinic on 42nd street since he had completed his residency, always Friday through Tuesday nights with Wednesday and Thursday off. It had been the first job he could get as a real doctor, and he had kept it out of a sense of nostalgia even after being picked up by a private practice during daytime hours. He enjoyed his coworkers at the clinic, and the evening hours didn’t interfere with his day job, so why not take advantage and use the money to pay off his student loans? Plus, he felt like working with the lower income families in the area kept him grounded, and reminded him of why he became a doctor in the first place. This job made him feel like he was making a difference.   
Typically Will took advantage of the slow Tuesday evening hours to make sure all of his patient files and reports from the past week were up to date and ready before his days off. However tonight he was already caught up, and the lack of patients was just making time drag. He had done everything that needed to be done, and he had resorted to a game of solitaire on his cell phone in the employee lounge as the hours dragged by. It was just about 7pm when the other doctor on duty plopped down next to him.   
“Ugh this is the longest Tuesday in the history of EVER!” Kayla whined before reaching for Will’s phone. “Move the seven over here so you can flip the next card over. You’re welcome.”  
Will shoved at Kayla’s shoulder playfully, “it’s called solitaire for a reason, you’re supposed to play it in solitude!” he answered, before doing exactly as she suggested.   
“I wish this shift would hurry up and end,” Kayla sighed, “I’m starving, and I’m supposed to meet Katie for dinner after shift. Plus, I heard Lou Ellen up front mention she has a date with Cecil tonight. Any plans for you Will?”   
Kayla’s smile was smug, she already knew the answer. Kayla and Will had met in Med School, and become friends during their residencies in the same hospital. Their friendship had only grown when they both signed on for evening shifts at the clinic. Kayla was an OBGYN, so Will had always felt their skills balanced each other nicely at work. However Kayla was also quite a social butterfly who was constantly nagging Will about his lack of social life and begging him to let her set him up with the most recent “nice guy” she had met at some party or another. Will knew where this was going, but took the bait none the less.   
“Nope,” he answered, popping the ‘p’ at the end just to annoy her. “Nothing but a much anticipated date with my bed and Netflix. Things are really getting serious, I’m three seasons into Supernatural, and Netflix is already suggesting we move on to that new Jessica Jones show. I see big things in our future, I’m considering proposing.”  
Kayla huffed out a laugh before she started in. “Are you sure? Because I met this guy at Katie’s birthday party last week, tall with blonde hair, he seemed really nice. I could give him a call, we could all go for Thai together?”  
“Thanks but no thanks,” Will answered, “I’m not really into the blind date thing. Besides,” he said, tucking his phone away as Lou Ellen came in from the front “it looks like our slow evening just picked up.”  
“Hey Guys,” Lou Ellen smiled as she held out two medical charts for the doctor’s appraisal. “Two walk ins, one potential pregnancy,”   
“Dibbs!” Kayla interrupted as she grabbed the chart.  
“and one STI screening. Sorry Will, looks like you drew the short straw this time.”  
“Not a problem Lou, tonight I’ll take anything to make the time pass. What room?”  
“He’s in seven, and good luck.” Will didn’t notice the sly smile she gave as they both left the lounge.   
If Will had noticed Lou’s smile, he probably would have been more prepared for what he found in room seven. As it was he stumbled into the room while still reviewing the chart in his hands. From the chart he knew his patient was young, about the same age as Will, occasional smoker, occasional drinker (Will made a mental note to discuss both of those with him), sexually active (obviously) but was not displaying any worrying symptoms. Will was already making a mental list of questions to ask. Without looking up from the chart in his hands he gave his standard greeting. “Good evening! How are we doing? I’m Dr Solace and….”  
Will stopped dead as he finally looked up at his patient. Holy crap this guy was HOT! His frame was lean, but clearly muscular, with pale skin that Will imagined would have warm olive tone in warmer months. He wore low slung black jeans that made Will’s pulse speed ever so slightly, along with a grey thermal long sleeve with a black band tee over that. His angular face was framed with shaggy black hair which fell in front of his eyes. (Oh God, his eyes.) Will had never seen eyes so dark before, they seemed to burn into him as his patient held his gaze. The man before him blinked and quirked a confused eyebrow, all Will could think was that eyelashes that thick and long should be illegal on someone that was already so good looking.   
“You’re Dr Solace and…..?” the man prompted, eyebrow still cocked. He appeared to be reconsidering his choice in healthcare provider.   
Will shook his head. “Sorry, lost my train of thought, it, ah, it’s been a long day.” Will silently cursed himself and tried to pull it together. He was a professional, dammit! He plastered his most professional smile across his face and looked back to the chart in his hands. That was safe, avoiding eye contact was definitely safe. “How can I help you tonight Mr…..” he checked the chart once more “di Angelo?”  
“Nico,” his patient corrected, “just Nico. And I’m just here for a routine STI screening. That’s all.”  
Will didn’t miss the slightest accent, as if English was not Nico’s first language, which of course was even hotter than the man himself.   
“Ok, Nico. Then I’m Will. Just Will.” Will was certain his grin was beyond goofy at this point. (What was wrong with him? Come on Solace dammit, you took an oath!) He shook his head again.  
“Right,” Nico answered slowly, he was clearly beginning to question more than just his choice in healthcare providers, “so the screening? What do I have to do?”  
“Er, well for the HIV test I’ll do a swab of your cheek, then for the rest you just have to give a sample,” Will handed Nico the cup for his urine sample and quickly stepped back to snap on some gloves. Thank goodness Lou Ellen had already laid out everything he would need. He grabbed the swab for the HIV test and took a deep breath.   
“I promise I’ll make this quick and painless,” he joked half heartedly. “Open please?”  
Will didn’t miss how Nico looked up and away as he opened wide, clearly uncomfortable with the close proximity that was necessary. That only made Will feel guiltier about the impure thoughts that raced through his head about Nico’s lips (he wondered if they were soft, they looked soft…) as he quickly swabbed the inside of his cheek.   
“So, restroom is across the hall. Use the wet-wipe to clean before giving your sample, fill at least to the line, then close the lid tightly and place the cup inside the little door next to the sink. Our technician will run the sample and I’ll come back in with the results shortly. If you need anything in the meantime just flag down one of the nurses. Sound good?”  
Nico nodded as he stood, the paper covered table crinkling with his movement.   
Will nodded back and quickly left the room. He headed straight for the employee lounge, where he flopped down in the nearest chair and covered his face with his hands. What was WRONG with him tonight?  
“I am a professional, I am a professional, I AM A PROFESSIONAL!” he whispered to himself.   
“Something wrong Dr Solace?” an amused voice asked. Crap.  
“Not at all,” Will straightened under Kayla’s knowing stare. “I just needed the reminder that I am, in fact, a professional. Unlike SOME of my coworkers.” He glared at her pointedly.  
Kayla grinned. “Of course you did. And clearly this has nothing to do with the fact that your patient just so happens to be ‘right up your alley’? At least that’s what Lou Ellen thinks. Is Lou right Dr Solace?” Kayla’s voice had taken on a sing-song quality that Will certainly did not appreciate at this moment.   
“Of course she isn’t. And even if he was ‘right up my alley’, I wouldn’t let that interfere with my job. It would be unprofessional to hit on a patient. And I would never do that. Right?” he ran out of steam at the end, and looked at Kayla with desperate eyes. She seemed to realize that the time for humor had passed, and came over to sit on the arm of his chair.   
“It would be unprofessional to hit on a patient, yes. But, he doesn’t have to be your patient. I can swap in and put in a good word for you? I’m pretty sure my potential pregnancy in room four is just gas anyway. Wanna switch?”  
Will sighed. He thought back to the way Nico had seemed so uncomfortable with his presence, and after replaying the way he had made a complete ass of himself on top of that, he knew it was a lost cause. “No, thanks but I’m pretty sure there’s no chance anyway. He’s probably straight. I’m just going to wrap it up. Besides, I have that hot date with Netflix planned already.” Will stood and placed his hand on his coworkers shoulder, “thanks though.”  
Will wandered down the hall and checked the bin outside of room seven’s door. As expected the test results were in (it really had been a painfully slow night), and negative to boot. Will breathed a sigh of relief, squared his shoulders, and knocked before entering the room.   
“Well good news Nico,” he said with a very fake smile. “Your results are back, and completely negative. The only thing that remains is for me to remind you to always engage in safe sexual activity, and to ask if there is anything further I can help you with tonight?”   
Nico hopped down from the table once again, the paper crinkling in protest. “Awesome, I’m good then.” He stood awkwardly, waiting for Will to move from his position blocking the door. Will saw this as his opportunity to apologize, and he pounced on it.  
“Hey, I really am sorry about before. This is my second job, and my Friday, so, sorry if I was, you know, spacey. I’m usually quite pleasant, I swear!” Will grinned as he stepped away from the door. He looked to Nico’s eyes, they seemed less wary than before.   
“I work weird hours, I get it. No worries. This must be a stressful job too. It’s cool.” a small smile graced his lips. (God those lips!) “Now go home and get some sleep. See you around Doc. And thanks.” And with that he was gone, headed back down the hall to the reception desk to pay his bill.   
No new patients came in after that, and the potential pregnancy in four was indeed gas, so the clinic was able to close promptly at eight. Will headed home, and after a quick re-heated dinner of leftovers from the previous day he turned in. It wasn’t until he was in bed that he realized he never did ask any of the diagnostic questions he intended to ask. So much for professionalism. His sleep was definitely NOT haunted by dreams of dark eyes framed with shaggy dark hair. Absolutely not.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should note a few things:  
> \- Any medical information is from frantic Google searches, I'm no doctor.  
> \- I've given Kayla a last name because it was awkward not having one. The Riordan Wiki site says "Kayla" means laurels in Arabic, a nod to her father. So I used that as a last name (I'm lazy.)  
> \- Only the story line is mine, all characters belong to Uncle Rick.

Two weeks passed, and Will had spent an embarrassing amount of time on thoughts of his dark haired patient. He had almost convinced himself to forget about Nico when another slow Tuesday evening came along. Will was once again in the employee lounge of the clinic, this time putting the finishing touches on some patient files from the day. Lou Ellen practically danced into the lounge, a medical chart cradled against her chest.   
“Oh Wiiiiiiiiiiilllllll!” she sang, “I have something special for yoooooooouuuuuu!”  
Will sighed as he looked up from the file he was working on “I’m actually trying to finish up some files Lou, although I do appreciate your enthusiasm,” he answered sarcastically, “can you see if Kayla can take this one please?”  
“You don’t want Kayla to take this one, plus I can’t find her. It’s just an STI screening, won’t take you long. Come on, room five. Trust me.”   
The grin that split Lou Ellen’s face was down right ecstatic, and Will knew the glint in her eyes typically meant mischief. It was best just to do what she wanted and get it over with.   
“Fine, room five it is. But you owe me a coffee, and whatever you’re up to, it won’t work.”  
“Don’t be so sure Dr Solace. But yes on the coffee, next week’s my turn to buy anyway.” she answered with a wink before turning to skip out of the lounge.   
Will sighed again and gathered up the chart before stumbling down the hall to room five. It wasn’t until he was right outside the door that he looked down at the file in his hand. Will was glad there was nobody in the hallway to see as he did a double take so quickly he was afraid he may have given himself whiplash. According to the chart in his hands the patient waiting for him was none other than Nico di Angelo, back for a second STI screening after just two weeks. Will’s brow furrowed in confusion, that can’t be right, can it? What is this guy doing that he needs to be screened twice within a two week period?  
“Well, only one way to find out.” Will mumbled as he grabbed the door knob. At least this time he was prepared for what was waiting inside the room. Maybe he would have a better chance at being himself.   
“Ah Mr. di Angelo,” he joked as he entered, “back so soon? How can I help you this evening?”  
“It’s just Nico, remember?” his patient answered with a wry smile, “just another STI screening.” Nico kept his eyes down as he answered, clearly uncomfortable. Will could understand that, but he wasn’t about to miss his chance to see those eyes again. He thought he deserved at least that much, this man had been haunting his dreams after all.   
“Sure, that’s what you say, but we both know you just wanted to come back and watch me make an ass of myself again. No such luck I’m afraid, I had my coffee today.”   
Nico looked up and actually cracked a small smile at that, which Will counted as a major victory. (“Yup,” he thought “Dorky, definitely much more myself.”) He returned the smile, before remembering all of the questions he forgot to ask last time. He did, after all, have a job to do.  
“We’ll get to the screening shortly, but first some questions Nico. Obviously you are sexually active,” Will tried to keep his eyes on the chart for this portion, “why are you concerned about STI’s tonight?”  
“Unprotected sexual contact.” Nico answered quickly. OK, direct, Will could appreciate that.   
“And how many partners have you had since our last visit?” Will hated to ask the question, it always seemed so judgmental to him, but it was necessary to know what type of risk behaviors his patient was engaged in. (“Right, keep it clinical Solace,” he thought to himself.)  
“One” Nico answered just as quickly. Will breathed a small sigh of relief and nodded, making note on the chart. That wasn’t bad at all. He reminded himself that he didn’t even know Nico’s sexual orientation, he could be straight. Besides, he was a patient, Will reminded himself again that he was a professional. (Dammit.)  
“Of course I always recommend using protection,” he continued, “but is there a specific reason you are concerned that you might have been exposed to something? Any symptoms, or warning signs from your partner such as sores or discharge?” Will avoided eye contact. He had asked these questions many times so far in his career, and he was sure he would ask them many more times, but for some reason this time it just seemed too personal.   
Nico looked pensive for a moment before answering, “Well no, but I don’t have any reason to believe he was clean either.”  
Will couldn’t help but think “Well there’s that question answered, definitely at least bi” as he nodded to the side.   
“Fair enough.” he answered with a small smile.   
Nico returned the smile, he seemed just a bit relieved, as if he had expected a change in Will’s demeanor after revealing his orientation. (Will doubted that his patient expected his actual reaction, which was a mental scream of “YEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS!” which he quickly squelched in the interest of professionalism. Will was really getting tired of that word.)  
“Alright, thank you Nico,” Will stood as he spoke, “let’s get that cheek swab, shall we?”   
Once again Lou had laid out everything he would need ahead of time. He snapped his gloves on and grabbed the swab.  
“Open please?”  
Nico opened obediently. This time Will tried to focus more on the basic signs of health that he looked for in all patients. Nico’s eyes were clear, although he did have slightly dark circles underneath of them. Will suspected a recent sleepless night. His mucous membranes were a healthy pink. Will remembered that Nico had listed himself as an occasional smoker, but it must be VERY occasionally, as his teeth were white and his tongue showed no signs of tobacco staining. Will inhaled discreetly as he completed the swab, he could detect only the faintest odor of stale cigarette smoke, that could easily be from standing too near someone else smoking. (“Ever optimistic” Will thought to himself.)  
“I’m sure you remember the drill” Will said as he passed the little sample cup to Nico, “from this room the bathroom is down the hall on the right, wet-wipe to clean, fill to the line and close tightly, cup in the little door. Head back here and I’ll return with the results as soon as I have them. Good?”  
Nico nodded as he stood from the table. Will noticed that this time he wore a rather large belt buckle in the shape of a silver skull. He shook his head as he tried to ignore the way that made his heart beat, Will always had a bit of a thing for bad boys. (“Jesus, keep it together Solace!” he thought with another small shake of the head.)   
Will waved Nico through the door first as they were both headed down the hall to the right. The bathroom was about three doors before the employee lounge, where Will intended to review the file he had been working on while he waited for Nico’s test results. After Nico turned into the restroom Will continued down the hall. Kayla came out of one of the other rooms and promptly put her hand in the air. She stopped Will in the middle of the hall, her face expectant.   
“What?” Will asked, confused.  
“High five for the return of Mr Not-So-Tall-But-Dark-And-Handsome. Gimme some!” She waggled her hand expectantly, “Lou was right when she said that you wanted room five. Amirite?”  
Will sighed, but conceded the high five. “I thought we decided it was unprofessional to hit on patients Dr Laurel” Will whispered in an only slightly exasperated tone.   
Kayla shrugged “he can’t keep coming back for STI screenings, so eventually you’ll have a shot. You just have to ride it out for a bit and you’re golden. Besides, my offer stands, all you have to do is take it. We can swap out, I can get his number for you. Easy!” she grinned and waggled her eyebrows at Will suggestively.  
“I can’t believe you made it through med school” Will sighed as he shouldered past her for the lounge.  
“You know you love me!” she shouted after him. Will waved over his shoulder. She was right, he did, after all these years she was practically his sister.  
Will wondered if Kayla was right, when he was done treating Nico would he even have a chance? He knew for sure that Nico was at least partially interested in men, but just because he was didn’t mean he was interested in Will. Will had encountered that attitude too many times in his life, the “if you’re gay you must like ALL guys, right?” attitude had always made him angry when it popped up among his friends and acquaintances. It wouldn’t be fair to assume Nico would be interested. In fact it would be safer to assume he wasn’t. What did Will have to offer other than being the worlds biggest goofball? Well, maybe he did have the doctor thing going for him. He snorted at the thought, his medical degree did have it’s perks, but so far picking up guys hadn’t been one of them.   
Will tried to focus on his files, but realized quickly it was a wasted effort. Finally he stood up irritably and headed back down the hall. It wasn’t as slow as the last time Nico had come in, but hopefully the results would be ready. He sighed in relief when he saw the completed test results, negative again.   
He smiled as he entered the room once more. Nico looked up with apprehension written all over his face. Will could tell he really was concerned about the results, it made him wonder about the circumstances behind Nico’s encounter with his one partner. (“Don’t think about that,” Will thought with a start, “all you’ll do is make yourself crazy!” Man, he had it bad.)  
“Negative,” Will said, the resulting smile from Nico warmed his heart just the tiniest bit. “So unless you have any questions for me?” Will raised his eyebrows, hoping that Nico had at least one question to prolong their appointment. No such luck.  
“Nope, thanks again Doc.” Nico answered as he jumped off of the table. He started to pull on a leather jacket that Will hadn’t noticed draped behind him on the table. (“Good God, leather? Really?” was all Will could think. “Why are you so perfect?”)  
As Nico made his way to the door Will reached out and put a hand on his arm, the impulse coming up so quickly he couldn’t stop himself. Nico looked at him expectantly, one eyebrow raised. “Something wrong Doc?”  
“Youreallyshouldquitsmoking.” Will said all in one breath.  
Nico tilted his head to the side, clearly confused. “Um, what?”  
Will took a deep breath. “You really should quit smoking. I noticed on your chart you smoke, and it’s really horrible for your health. You should stop. Like right now.” (“Great, compelling argument Will.” He mentally chided himself.)  
“Yeah,” Nico answered slowly, “I know. It’s, uh, it’s tough to quit. I’ve thought about it, but, you know, it never really seemed like the right time. My job and my…. personal life have been stressful lately. You know?” He seemed uncomfortable again, and instantly Will felt bad.   
“Yeah, I know, it’s hard. It’s not really my business, but as your doctor, even just your temporary doctor, it’s my responsibility to say something. There are medications and programs that can help, if you decide to try again come back and see me. I can help.” Will smiled crookedly hoping his words would bring them back to feeling just a little bit comfortable with each other. He was rewarded with another small smile from his patient.   
“Yeah, ok. Thanks Doc”  
“It’s Will, remember?” Will answered before he could stop himself.   
“Ok, yeah, Doctor Will” Nico answered with a smile. “See you around.”  
And just like that he was headed back down the hall to pay his bill and leave. Will smacked his forehead as soon as Nico was through the door. “God I am SUCH a loser.” Thankfully he didn’t have much time to dwell on it, the night was almost over and he still had files to finish. Grateful for the distraction, Will headed back down to the lounge. He made a mental note to review the stop smoking aids that they had available to prescribe from the clinic, you know, just in case.


	3. Chapter 3

Another Tuesday night rolled around, this one however was uncharacteristically busy. Will had just finished up with a young mother whose children both had a nasty case of strep throat. It seemed to be going around. Will had seen two other cases today, and four the day before. Even though he had washed his hands in the room before leaving, he found himself compelled to slip into the employee lounge for a second washing just in case. Strep was nasty after all, and he couldn’t afford to be sick right now. (So maybe he was a little paranoid, so what?)  
Will was just tossing his paper towel into the trash when then door flew open, Lou Ellen rushing in clutching a file.   
“There you are Will, I’ve been looking for you! Patient for you, room five. STI screening.”  
Will had a quick flash of deja vous, but quickly dismissed it. He did work with Lou every night but Friday’s, he couldn’t count the number of times she’d had to hunt him down over the past years.   
“Five, got it.” Will was reaching for the chart in her hands, but hesitated when he saw the look on her face: anticipation was etched into every pore.   
Will only had time to get out “Wha……?” before Lou Ellen thrust the file into his hands. He looked down, knowing what he would see just from her expression.   
Yup. Nico di Angelo.   
“I’m guessing you have made quite an impression to keep him coming back like this.” Lou giggled before turning to leave.   
“Yeah, or the guy’s a hypochondriac. Or he could just have some serious issues. Maybe he’s an ‘escort’ or something.” Will followed her on his way to room five.   
“Doubt it. I guess you don’t have to care about your patients billing, but I do. He works for a software company. Has insurance, GOOD insurance, but never uses it here. Always pays cash before leaving.”  
“So he has a day job but doesn’t want them to know about his extra curricular activities.” Will sighed as they reached his room. “Not really helping, thanks Lou.”  
She offered a sly grin and a mumbled “still think it’s you” before heading back to the front.  
Will took a moment to steady himself before entering the room.   
“Nico, we really must stop meeting like this!” he offered his best grin as he turned to face his patient, and his breath promptly stuck in his throat.   
Nico was dressed to kill today: black dress pants, a dark grey button up with a purple tie, and his typical Converse had been replaced with a pair of sleek black leather shoes (Will was tempted to ask where he got them, they were dressy but still looked comfortable).   
“Just can’t seem to stay away.” he answered with the smallest smile. “Just need another screening please.”   
“Of course, let’s get started, shall we?” Will decided that they could abbreviate his typical questions, this was, after all, becoming routine. “Number of partners since your last visit?”  
“One.” (Still only one partner, probably not an escort. At least not a good one.)  
“Any concerning symptoms from you or your partner?”  
“Nope.”  
“Alright then, let’s get this cheek swab done, it looks like I may be keeping you from a date.” Will stood and approached the table, snapping his gloves on as he went. He knew he was probably being obvious, but it wouldn’t hurt to fish for a little information.   
“No date, actually I just came straight from work. Didn’t have time to go home and change first.” So Lou was right, he definitely had at least a decent job. Will shut his racing thoughts down before he could start considering the possibilities of Nico and a string of one night stands. That just wasn’t an image he wanted to have.   
“Well that’s a shame,” was all Will could manage to say before “Open please.”  
He had completed the cheek swab and was about to step away when something caught his eye. The collar of Nico’s shirt was pulled away from his throat just slightly, and from this angle Will could see the full long line of his patients neck. Was that a bruise……?  
His hand shot out before he could stop himself and pulled the shirt collar aside. His heart sank into his stomach as his suspicion was confirmed.   
“Nico are those finger prints? Is someone hurting you?”  
“What? No! Don’t be ridiculous!”   
Nico’s hand shot up to cover his throat as his cheeks colored rapidly. Will moved his hand away and took a step back, he met Nico’s eyes, Nico did not look away.  
“Nico if someone is hurting you I can help, I WANT to help!” The words sounded desperate in his own ears, instantly he realized what could be heard in that statement. He hurried to add “it’s my job to help. Tell me what’s going on. Please.”  
Nico sighed and looked away before answering “it’s nothing to worry about. It was consensual. I’m fine, I promise.”  
Will took a deep breath to clear his head. He was quickly leaning back towards the possibility of Nico having major issues, it made his heart ache just the tiniest bit. This would not be the first time Will had encountered injuries of a sexual nature, heck it wasn’t even close to the worst he had seen, but it still made him deeply uncomfortable. Maybe Nico was right, this was none of his business.   
“Well as long as you enjoy that type of activity all I can say is please be careful and make sure that you and your partner have clearly established boundaries and rules ahead of time. I shouldn’t have over stepped.” Will tried for an “its-no-big-deal-I’ve-seen-it-before” tone, but wasn’t convinced that he achieved it.   
“I didn’t say I enjoyed it, I just said it was consensual.” Nico answered softly. “It will not be happening again.” He still wouldn’t make eye contact.  
Will reached out and placed a hand on Nico’s shoulder “well good, because you deserve better than that.”  
Nico finally met his gaze, his dark eyes unreadable.   
“Now, I hope you have to pee, you still have to take the Wiz Quiz.” Will blurted. Of course he would follow up a potentially touching moment with ridiculous humor. He mentally face palmed.  
Nico seemed to appreciate the lighter mood though, he stood and took the sample cup from Will. “See you back here in a bit then.”  
This night was busy enough that Will actually had other patients to see while Nico’s test results were processed. He had just finished up with a sinus infection in room seven when he noticed the results outside room five.   
“Excellent news Nico, negative results.” Will announced cheerfully as he entered. “You are free to be on your way, unless of course you have any questions?”   
“Just one,” Nico looked down shyly, “did you mean it?”  
Will knew what Nico meant without even asking. “Yeah. I meant it.”  
Nico nodded slightly before making eye contact again. “Alright then. Thanks Doc, I’ll see you around.”   
The busy night continued, it wasn’t until the clinic was closing up that Will had a chance to speak with Lou Ellen again. She caught up to him as they were preparing to leave.   
“So how did it go with your boyfriend tonight?”  
“Fabulous. I told him he needed to be safe with his rough sex, and asked him to take a ‘Wiz Quiz’. One of my more mortifying evenings if I do say so myself.”  
Lou looked appalled “You didn’t!”  
“I did. Please don’t make me give you details.” Will didn’t think his ego could take the stress of repeating the story to Lou, “I’m a complete jackass.”  
“No, you’re not, you’re just a chronic dork. Big difference. I should have given you non-dork lessons years ago, so really it’s partly my fault. Tell you what, coffee’s on me again next week.”  
Will knew Lou Ellen was just trying to make him feel better. He gave her a side hug and smiled.  
“Not your fault. But you can definitely buy me coffee. It will help my ego to heal.”  
As he lay in bed later that evening Will couldn’t help but wonder what Nico di Angelo was doing. He was so screwed.


	4. Chapter 4

The next week passed in a haze of busy days and nights of work for Will. One of his coworkers at the clinic had taken some time off, so he hadn’t had a day off at all. The strep throat epidemic had continued, Will had seen at least three cases every day. To say he was exhausted by the time Tuesday night rolled around would be an understatement. Will was fairly certain that the only thing keeping him going at this point was the Starbuck’s Venti Carmel Macchiato with two extra shots that Lou Ellen had brought for him. (True to her word she had brought him coffee not once, but twice this week. Which only meant that Will had passed the point where he could hide his exhaustion from his coworkers.) Will was really looking forward to having the next two days off, and was relieved to have nothing planned but laundry and a two day long date with Netflix (Supernatural was getting good!).   
As the night wore on Will found himself once again in the employee lounge with a stack of medical files to complete, this time however he was sprawled across the couch. This week he had opted for scrubs instead of his usual dress attire. If he was going to work this hard at least he was going to be comfortable. Plus he was out of clean laundry, but nobody else needed to know that. He made a mental note to stop and buy a new pack of boxer briefs on the way home, or else he’d have to do laundry commando. You know what, he was fine with that as long as he got to bed as soon as possible. His sweats would cover anything unsightly, and it wasn’t like he cared that much about what his neighbors thought. Nobody was usually in the laundry room on Wednesday mornings anyway. (“So this is what rock bottom feels like” he thought sadly, “I thought I had a few years before I hit this point.”)  
Will was most definitely NOT dozing off when Kayla and Lou Ellen barged into the lounge, both with looks of determination plastered on their faces.  
“Come on Sunshine,” Kayla said sternly, “you’ve got a patient, time to rise and shine!” She pulled him up off the couch by his hand, and started trying to smooth his admittedly more-messy-than-usual hair.   
“I don’t know Dr Laurel,” Lou Ellen said hesitantly, “maybe he can’t handle it this time, he’s had a really long few weeks. Maybe you should take him this one time.”  
Kayla snorted, “sure, that sounds like a good idea now, but Dr Romeo here would be pissed after his days off. Come on Will,” she moved on to fixing his scrubs, smoothing the shirt down aggressively, “you can do this.”  
Will was confused, until he saw the chart in Lou Ellen’s hands and her wide sparkling eyes.   
“No,” he said incredulously, “he can’t be back again already, right?”  
He looked back and forth between his two coworkers. Neither woman flinched even a little bit.  
“Shit. He’s back. And I’m a mess.” Will mumbled while furiously trying to smooth his hair again. There was no mirror in the lounge, but somehow he doubted it had helped at all.   
“Please tell me he’s not back for another STI screening?” he asked desperately.   
Lou Ellen looked away and that was all the answer he needed.  
“What is with this guy? Is he in a room yet?” Will asked. It was probably the exhaustion, but to be honest he was starting to get a little pissed about Nico’s night time activities. (Great, not even a hint that Nico is interested in him and already Will is getting possessive. He needed help. And probably more coffee.)  
“Not yet,” Lou Ellen answered. She turned back to meet Will’s eyes, “Austin is checking his vitals now. I figured Kayla and I had better come and get you….. presentable.”  
“Good,” Will answered, his brain was starting to kick in and he was beginning to feel like he was missing a major part of the puzzle that was Nico di Angelo. “Go in with Austin and discreetly ask him to check out Nico’s arms while he takes his blood pressure. Do you understand?”  
Lou Ellen’s eyes widened but she nodded, clearly understanding Will’s train of thought. “Of course, he’ll need the chart anyway. I’ll have him put Nico in three when he’s done. He should need about ten minutes.” With that she rushed out of the room.   
“You think he’s a user? I saw him this time, I don’t get that vibe.” Kayla looked at Will with questioning eyes.  
“I don’t know, I don’t really get that vibe either,” Will answered, “but something is going on here that I’m missing. That just seemed as good a place as any to start.” Will ran his hands through his hair one more time.   
“You’ve got ten minutes, I would suggest you run some cold water over your face, you really look like death tonight, you know that?” Kayla said, clearly trying to lighten the mood.  
“Thank you Dr Laurel, you are a joy to work with as usual.” Will answered sarcastically before moving to the sink. She was a pain in the ass but Kayla was probably right, he was definitely not at his best this evening.   
Kayla smirked before heading off to her next patient, giving Will a few peaceful minutes to think. He had questions for Nico, but Austin and Lou Ellen’s assessment would decide what line of questioning he would take this time.   
It felt like far less than ten minutes passed before Lou Ellen returned, chart clutched to her chest.   
“Well?” Will asked hesitantly.  
“Clean as far as we could see. I stayed and helped, checked his arms when we took the blood pressure, hands too when we did the heart rate monitor. Nothing. Unless he’s shooting between his toes or something I don’t think he’s using.”  
Will relaxed a bit at that. He hadn’t really thought that was the case either, but in his line of work it never hurt to assume the worst. But he’d be lying if he said that he wasn’t relived to have the confirmation.   
“Thank you Lou. Room three you said?”  
She nodded before turning to leave. Will followed shortly after, already lining up his questions for his patient.  
He took a breath and tried for a pleasant look before he entered the room.  
“Ah, Nico, back again so soon?” he joked upon entering.   
Nico had returned to his usual casual dress this time, dark jeans and a hooodie. He smiled wryly before answering, “yeah, I missed you.” he seemed just the slightest bit hesitant, as if he was unsure that their relationship warranted such intimate humor. Will couldn’t blame him. He wasn’t really sure what to make of their relationship either, if you could even call it that.  
“What can I help you with this evening? Looks like another screening?”  
“Yeah. Just the STI check. That’s all.”  
“Ah, and here I thought it was my good looks and sunny disposition bringing you back.” Will joked half heartedly.   
“Yeah about that,” Nico answered slowly, “You feeling ok Doc, because honestly you don’t look so hot.”  
Well that was a blow that Will’s ego really didn’t need to suffer tonight. Fabulous.  
“It’s been a really, really long week.” Fuck he hated his life. Will dropped his face into his hand briefly before rallying. “But we’re here to discuss you, not me. So on to questions: number of partners since your last screening?”  
“One” Nico answered promptly.   
“Any concerning symptoms from you or your partner?”  
“Nope.”  
Will decided that this time his questions needed to go a bit deeper, so he took the plunge.   
“Nico, is this a new partner, or the same one?”  
Nico looked uncomfortable, he started to fidget. Will noticed as he began spinning a silver ring on his right hand, it looked like a skull. “Same one,” he answered softly.   
A thought started to grow in the back of Will’s mind. Will had been alive for the AIDS crisis, he had been young but he remembered the fear and the harsh judgement directed at the gay community. Will had encountered same sex couples before that thought that gay sex was inherently dirty, that STI’s could be generated just from same sex contact. This attitude still caught him off guard, it seemed positively medieval, but maybe it would explain what was happening here.   
Will tried for a comforting tone, the last thing he wanted was to sound like he was talking down to his patient.  
“Nico, you know that unprotected sex between a monogamous couple, hetero or homosexual, is generally considered safe, right? If you’re having sex within the confines of a monogamous relationship, there really is no need to come in for screenings. You know that, right?”  
Nico blushed furiously at that, “Yes, I’m not stupid, Jeez Doc. I took sex ed in high school!”  
Will was as confused as ever. He felt his temper flare and tried to push it down as he answered, “then I don’t think I’m understanding the situation here Nico, why if you’ve only had one partner are you so worried?” Will noticed that he had been steadily leaning towards Nico as the conversation progressed, he leaned back quickly.  
“Just because I’m monogamous doesn’t mean he is!” Nico practically spat.  
“Oh.” was all Will could answer.   
Oh.  
OH.  
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH!  
The pieces clicked into place and Will was temporarily relieved to have the mystery solved. His relief was short lived though, as his temper promptly fired back up.   
“So let me get this straight, your boyfriend is potentially sleeping around, and you don’t make him use a condom?”   
“Yes I have asked that he use a condom, demanded actually” Nico answered angrily, shoulders thrown back in defiance. “But he won’t. He refuses, he always has. And he’s not my boyfriend. Anymore. He dumped me just over a month ago for some other guy. Now he just shows up at my apartment every now and again. For sex. And leaves.” Will watched as Nico steadily deflated as he spoke. “So yeah. Can we just do the test and I’ll be on my way?”  
“Sure. Whatever.” Will didn’t even try to fight his temper. He knew that he should, that his patient, that NICO needed reassurances right now, but he was far too pissed to be able to offer that. How could Nico not know that he deserved better than this? How could he not see that Will would be willing to give him better than this?   
“Open.” he demanded. Nico did, the swab was taken, and Will handed him the little cup.   
“You know the drill. I’ll be back.” he grumbled before storming out of the room.   
He stomped into the lounge, the only thing preventing him from slamming the door was that it had one of those air hinges on it. He couldn’t slam it if he tried. So instead he opened the fridge and slammed that. It helped. Not enough, but some.   
Will took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair again. He started pacing the length of the room. He was glad to have the room to himself, he needed the time to clear his head. His pacing started to calm him.   
“Think Will,” he whispered to himself. He had a patient who clearly needed his help, or at least some guidance. Now that he was calming down he was embarrassed by his reaction, he should have offered consolations and suggestions, not thrown a temper tantrum like a three year old. Maybe he SHOULD have Kayla take over Nico’s file anyway, obviously he was not thinking clearly when it came to this patient. He cared too much.  
Suddenly Will stopped his pacing as realization hit. No. He most definitely should not give this patient up. Nico needed someone who cared right now, and Will was definitely best suited in that area. How dare he be judgmental of someone who came to him for help and professional advice? Will remembered how hard it had been when his last boyfriend had broken things off with him. That had been way back in college, before med school even. Connor had felt that Will’s studies were more important than their relationship (which to be fair, they had been) and broken things off. Will’s heart had been broken, he had never felt so lonely and miserable in his life. How would he have reacted if Connor had shown up at his door some night? Would he have been strong enough to send him on his way?   
Will sighed. No. He would have been desperate enough for some affection and human contact, no matter how short lived, and he would have done anything for Connor. He was over it now, many years down the line, but with the pain fresh, he knew he would have caved.   
He didn’t really know what to say to Nico, but he had an idea how he could possibly help. He headed to the area where supplies were kept, and gathered what he needed. He headed back to room three, where sure enough, results were waiting. Negative again, thank goodness. Will entered the room hesitantly.   
He offered Nico a bashful smile as he entered, and couldn’t help but notice that Nico wouldn’t meet his eyes. He couldn’t blame the guy, he had been a total douche. Will sighed as he sat on the stool across from Nico. He knew what he needed to do.   
“I’m sorry,” Will said earnestly. “I didn’t handle that as well as I should have. You trusted me, as a medical professional with very personal information, and I was inconsiderate of your feelings and your situation. I apologize. I am here to help, and I want you to know that you are safe to tell me anything at all. I want you to trust me as your doctor, but I understand if that is not possible. I can ask my coworker to take over if you would rather not continue our consultation. My feelings will not be hurt in the slightest. Actually I would completely understand. Just say the word and I will leave.” He bit his bottom lip and held his breath as he waited for Nico to answer.   
“It’s ok,” Nico answered quietly. He met Wills eyes and Will was finally able to exhale the breath he had been holding. “I do trust you. You’re right, I’m being stupid and the fact that I keep coming back here shows that I know that I’m being stupid. I’m just not sure I know how to stop. Yet.”   
“Well,” Will answered with a smile, trying to lighten the mood in the room once more, “I may be able to help with that. Firstly, your results are negative again. Secondly there’s this.” He plopped the brown paper bag he was carrying into Nico’s lap.   
Nico looked at him, confusion plain on his face. “What’s this?” he asked as he opened the bag.   
His forehead wrinkled in confusion for a moment before he looked up, incredulous.   
“Condoms?” he asked wryly. He looked back into the bag. “Jeez, that’s a LOT of condoms. How much sex do you think I’m having exactly?”  
Will shrugged “I dunno, more than me that’s for sure. I just wanted to make sure you had a good supply. You know, stash them everywhere. Overwhelm him with your safe sex preparedness. Wear him down.” Will grinned and Nico returned it. His heart lifted the slightest bit.   
“Right, thanks I guess.” Nico blushed as he closed up the bag. “Nobody really wears condoms though, right?”  
“Yes,” Will made sure to meet Nico’s eyes steadily. “Anybody that cares about their partner should be willing to protect them. It’s just common courtesy really.” He had given this speech a million times, this part came naturally. (He left unspoken the part with “I would, I would do anything for you.”)  
“I do think,” Will continued, “that you should try to get out more too. If you’re not at your apartment when he shows up then it saves you the trouble. Go out and meet somebody. Or just go out on your own. Take up bowling or something. Maybe karaoke.”  
Nico snorted “Nobody bowls anymore, and nobody wants to hear me sing, trust me. But I’ll try getting out. Thanks Doc.”  
Will didn’t bother to tell Nico that he loved to bowl, had his own shoes and everything, or that he was more than willing to be the one to take him bowling.   
“You deserve better” Will said softly. He looked into those impossibly dark eyes and couldn’t help himself. In that moment he tried to communicate all the things he had left unspoken since they met. “And you still need to quit smoking,” Will finished lamely. (“Keep it light Solace!”)  
“I know, Jeez Doc you’re almost as bad as my sister Hazel. Come to think of it, I bet you two would be good friends.”   
Will sent Nico on his way, bag of condoms in hand, up to the front to pay his bill and head home. He had done the right thing for tonight and that’s all that mattered. That and the fact that it was nearly time to close up the clinic and head home. He was gonna sleep so hard.


	5. Chapter 5

Another Tuesday night at the clinic, but Will had long since stopped hoping to see Nico. It had been twelve weeks since the last time he had come in.   
Twelve.   
Weeks.   
Will knew that he should be glad, he should feel relieved that Nico hadn’t been back to the clinic. That his absence probably meant that he had taken Will’s advice and gotten rid of the ex-boyfriend that had been putting him at risk, or at least it meant that he was using the condoms Will had given him. Either would be an improvement, and as his doctor Nico’s health should be his primary concern. That’s what he told himself, but it wasn’t working. Will was depressed, something that was definitely not normal for him.   
His coworkers had taken notice. Every night that Will worked for the past three weeks one of his coworkers had brought him his usual order from Starbucks. Austin, Kayla and Lou Ellen appeared to be taking turns, and they never let him give them any money in return. Will was glad to have such great friends at work, at least at night. His day job coworkers had noticed he was down, but they weren’t quite as invested, after all they hadn’t watched the story unfold. Still, it took quite a bit to shake Will’s normally sunny disposition, the fact that even his day job coworkers were asking if he was ok served only to remind him that no, he wasn’t. He was hung up on a patient that he finally probably managed to scare away from ever returning to the clinic. And that was a problem.  
For about thirty seconds Will had considered pulling Nico’s medical record to find out where he lived, before reminding himself that not only would that be ILLEGAL and totally against the oath he had taken to become a medical professional, it would also be incredibly creepy and probably not something Nico would appreciate in the slightest. Will had discarded the idea without really considering it seriously, especially after noting that it sounded like the kind of thing a stalker-type ex-boyfriend who only wanted to have sex with you would do. Probably best to avoid that.   
Will did ask Lou Ellen to keep an eye on Nico’s file though. That he could at least justify as professional curiosity; if Nico did return to see another doctor Will would want to consult with them to make sure the patient was receiving the best possible care. (“Sure, let’s go with that” Will thought to himself.) It was useless, Nico hadn’t come back during any other shifts.Will reminded himself that this fact should be a good thing. Right? Right.  
Will was grateful that at least tonight had been busy enough for time to pass quickly. Shortly after his shift had started a man had come in complaining of chest pains. Austin had just finished taking his vitals and was escorting him to a room when the man had gone down hard. Will had helped Austin to get him on to a table, and had stabilized him enough for transport to the local emergency room. As an urgent care clinic they just weren’t set up to handle this type of patient, but Will had spent most of his shift so far with the man, making sure he was stable and arranging transport. He even helped the EMT’s that came for the transport to load the man on to the gurney and into the ambulance.   
Now, with about an hour left in his shift and the adrenaline he had been riding so far all gone, Will felt tired and empty. He’d been hiding in the men’s room for about ten minutes and felt pretty ridiculous about it. He washed his hands and sighed heavily before shouldering the door open and nearly colliding with Kayla.  
“Jeez Kayla watch it! I almost ran you over!”  
“Yeah, it’s fine, I’ve been waiting for you. What were you doing? You were in there forever. Wait…. you know what? I don’t want to know. Come on, patient needs you, room one.” Kayla began patting his hair down and pulling at his shirt as she pushed him down the hall.   
“Hey, what are you doing? Seriously, let go! HEY!” he jumped as she stuck her hand into the waistband of his jeans, evidently she felt the need to re-tuck the back of his shirt. There was such a thing as being TOO comfortable with your coworkers. “Kayla what is your deal, I’m gay, remember? We’ve had the whole coming out talk. Even if I wasn’t I don’t think I’m your type!”  
“Yes I know DOCTOR that’s why I know that you want to look your best before you walk into this room!”  
Will sighed and rolled his eyes at her “We’ve been over this, dating patients is a bad idea, and recent experience has only proven that to be true. Whoever’s in that room I’m not interested.”  
Kayla’s grin bordered on wicked, “are you suuuuuuuuuure?” she waved a patient file in front of his face slowly. Will’s heart may have stopped for a few seconds.   
“No!” was all he could say.  
“YES!” Kayla giggled excitedly, “now get in there!”  
“Wait, what if..”  
“Stop,” Kayla snapped “you’ve been miserable for three months, THREE MONTHS William Solace! I for one am tired of watching you mope around. You have the chance to do something about your own unhappiness. Either you take it, or you stop being so miserable. Those are your choices. I will be out here whatever you choose but really, get in there and make something happen, I’m tired of seeing you like this!” Her fierce expression softened considerably before adding “we’re all tired of seeing you like this Will. When’s the last time you put your work second and yourself first?”  
Will’s chest felt tight, somewhere in the back of his mind he wondered if HE was having a heart attack.   
“Ok,” he answered softly. “You’re right. I’ll fix this one way or the other. How’s my hair?”  
Kayla smiled softly “as good as it ever is. Good luck. Find me if you want me to take over.” and with a wink she was off, leaving Will alone in the hall. He took a deep breath before entering the room.  
“Well hello stranger!” Will greeted his patient enthusiastically, “I was beginning to think you forgot about us. How have you been?”  
The first thing Will noticed was that Nico looked GOOD. Well, he always looked good, but this time he looked good as in healthy. His skin was less pale, the dark circles were missing, and his eyes were bright and awake. It looked like he had recently gotten his hair cut, it was cut close on the sides, the top was still longer and a little shaggy, it suited him. He wore his usual casual clothes, black jeans and a grey long sleeve T-shirt. His Converse were purple this time, and the silver skull belt buckle was in place. Will realized he must have been staring, Nico blushed and looked down, one hand rubbing absently at the back of his neck.   
“I’m good, I’ve been trying to keep myself out of trouble.”   
“So what brings you in this evening? Did you run out?”  
Nico furrowed his brow at that. “Run out? I don’t.…what?”  
“The condoms,” Will answered, “I knew they would last awhile but figured you would run out eventually. I can get more?”   
Nico laughed “Actually, I know this might surprise you, but I do know where to buy condoms on my own. Besides, I haven’t used them. Not any of them.” A smile tugged at one corner of his mouth and Will had to sit down. “I though I would take your advice.”  
“Really? You haven’t used any of them at all?” Will’s heart had lifted just the tiniest bit at that, until his brain caught up and registered the last part. “Wait, take my advice, as in get out more? Nico, have you met someone?”  
“Well, no, not really at least. I did get rid of the ex. He showed up at my place at about three am some time after my last appointment. I thought about what you said, and I told him that I wanted him to leave, to forget where I lived, forget my number, and get out. And he did. So I thought I should come by and have one final test, you know, just to make things official. I mean, I haven’t had sex since the last test but I thought this would be symbolic, you know?” Nico met Will’s eyes and grinned at the smile he received.  
“Nico, I’m really proud of you. That couldn’t have been easy to do, I’m glad you decided to take care of yourself. But, if he came by just after your last appointment, why come back now?” (Will couldn’t ask what he really wanted to: “why did you leave me hanging for three months?”)  
Nico looked slightly ashamed and started to spin the skull ring Will had noticed in their previous meetings. He was… uncomfortable? Nervous?   
“I had to take care of something else first. It wasn’t as easy, but I did it.” Nico’s eyes burned into Will’s just like their first meeting. “I quit smoking.”  
“You….Wow Nico nice job! I’m impressed! What made you decide it was time?”  
“Well, I kind of met this guy, and I’m interested in him, but I know he doesn’t like smoking. Plus my sister’s been bugging me about it forever. It’s not good for you you know.” Nico smirked at Will, who couldn’t help but laugh, even as his heart was sinking. Nico was already interested in someone. That sealed it, he would finish up the screening and let Nico di Angelo walk out of his life for good. He would just have to get his shit together and get over it. He felt so stupid.  
“Well, regardless of the reason, I’m really glad you were able to quit. Twelve weeks is pretty impressive, you did good Nico. Now, let’s get this screening done so you can go ask this guy out.” Will was suddenly very anxious to get out of room one.   
“Well, that’s the thing,” Nico suddenly looked especially uncomfortable, Will thought back over their conversation but couldn’t think of anything he may have said that would make Nico look the way he did now. “I was thinking that tonight I would show up and ask this guy if he wanted to go out some time, but I’m not sure how to do it. He’s kind of out of my league.”   
All Will could think was “thank you Universe, way to rub salt in the wound. He wants me to give him advice on how to ask this guy out. Fabulous.”  
Instead Will smiled at his patient. “Just think of something you would both enjoy, and ask him if he wants to go with you. After everything you’ve been through in the last few months, that should be the easy part. He’d be crazy not to give you a chance.”  
“So, then, um would you like to go bowling some time?” Nico said softly.  
“Right, exactly like that. See? Easy!” Will was carefully avoiding eye contact as he stood and started gathering what he would need for the screening. He jumped when he felt Nico’s hand on his arm. He turned to meet his eyes.  
“No, Will, I mean would YOU like to go bowling some time?”  
OH!  
Will froze where he was, his mouth opened and closed a few times but sound refused to come out. Probably due to the fact that his brain had stopped producing any kind of rational thought. Maybe he was having that heart attack after all. Finally he pulled himself together enough to manage a strained, “I’m sorry, what?”  
Nico’s face bloomed red, and he quickly dropped his hand from Will’s arm. “I’m sorry, did I read this wrong? I really thought… OK I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come, I shouldn’t have…. I’m really sorry I have obviously read this wrong and I will just, um, I’ll just go.” He was avoiding eye contact again, and worse than that he was trying to LEAVE! Will shook his head hard, which seemed to bring his brain back to life. He reached out and grabbed Nico’s arm.   
“Yes.” was all he could say. It wasn’t a fully formed thought just yet, but Will would take what he could get.   
Nico turned back to meet his eyes. “Really?” he asked. Will could see the ghost of a smile waiting to break free. He let his own smile break out first.  
“I love bowling. Just tell me when.”   
Of course, Will’s brain chose that moment to roar back into fully functioning adult thought. He retracted his hand from Nico’s arm.  
“Nico, there’s something we should discuss though, before we agree to anything you should know that if we go on a date, I can’t be your doctor anymore. It’s a conflict of interest, and it’s just not good practice. I mean you could still come to the clinic, but you would have to see one of the other doctors. I just want you to understand that before we go any further.” Will’s heart was beating a mile a minute, he still hadn’t ruled out the heart attack, and was actually thinking maybe he’d ask Lou Ellen to hook him up to the heart monitor after this was over.   
Nico, on the other hand, let out a hearty laugh. “No offense Will, but I actually already have a doctor. At first I came here because I didn’t want my doctor or my insurance to know about the tests, and the clinic here is cheaper than a lot of the other options. Then I kept coming back because, well, I liked the doctor. He seemed like he really cared, and, well he has these eyes….” Nico broke off and his blush was renewed. “So yeah, I don’t mind. I think I’d rather be your date than your patient. If you want.”  
Will’s smile felt like it was permanently stuck on his face. All this time, and Nico really had been coming back to see him. Will reminded himself to buy Kayla and Lou Ellen coffee for the next three weeks. They had been right all along.   
“Well, in that case, let me get Dr. Laurel to finish up your exam here. The clinic closes in about 30 minutes, and I’m off tomorrow, so if you don’t mind waiting there’s this bowling alley a few blocks over that does blacklight bowling after 9pm. We could get something to eat first?”  
“That sounds perfect. I’ll wait up front.” Nico’s smile looked like it may be permanent as well, or maybe Will was just seeing what he wanted to see. He nodded, and made for the door. With one final glance over his shoulder he left the room, only to run into Kayla for the second time that night.   
“Well?” she asked, hand expectantly in the air. This time Will didn’t hesitate to slap her palm.   
“If you wouldn’t mind Dr Laurel I will need you to take over the STI screening in room one. And please be careful with him. Once you’re done, we have a date.”  
Kayla grinned and pushed his shoulder playfully, “Well it’s about time!” She answered, before slipping into the exam room. Will headed to the employee lounge to get ready to leave. His heart was just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *knocks on screen* Anybody still out there? I hope you enjoyed. I have some more ideas that I may write up as one shots. Would you guys be interested? If so, would you like me to keep adding as chapters on this fic? Or keep them separate? Leave me a comment and let me know. Thanks for reading, all of your comments have been so awesome, you guys make my day.

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think! I'll have chapter two up in a week or so.


End file.
